Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been taken into intensive care for coronavirus treatment.

He was moved to an intensive care unit (ICU) at St Thomas' Hospital in London yesterday evening (Monday, April 6).

The Prime Minister's fiancé Carrie Symonds, who is herself recovering from mild symptoms and is pregnant with his child, is not allowed to visit him in hospital.

In the mean time, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is taking charge of some of the Prime Minister's duties.

The news comes as the number of cases in Essex passes the 1,000 mark for the first time.

As of yesterday, 1,096 people have tested positive for the virus, including 858 in the area covered by Essex County Council, 118 in the area covered by Southend Borough Council and 120 in the area covered by Thurrock County Council.

NHS Thanks a Million

It is something that has, at some point, touched all our lives.

From cradle to grave, the National Health Service, and the incredible professionals within it who care for us, is a part of British life.

Today, more than ever, we should cherish those who dedicate themselves to our care, heedless of own health as they work tirelessly to care for people in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

We have never needed our doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other carers more.

So let’s show them some love, and create a living map of gratitude from every corner of Britain - visit www.thanksamillionnhs.co.uk to drop a heart on the map wherever you are in the world.

By dropping a heart on the map, you’re saying you appreciate the efforts undertaken daily in the NHS.

Thanks a million, NHS workers - we love you.

Nationally, there have been 55,242 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and sadly 6,159 people have died.

Worldwide, there have been over 1.3m cases of the virus, and nearly 75,000 deaths.

In hard hit areas like Italy and Spain, daily death tolls are falling, indicating they have reached the peak of the disease.

Meanwhile, Austria is looking to lift some of their lockdown restrictions.

For live updates across the county and the UK, follow our live blog below.

Full list of the 261 COVID-19 deaths in Essex

Will you be clapping for Boris?

In just over half an hour the nation will be clapping for Boris, as a means of support through his Coronavirus battle.In just over half an hour the nation will be clapping for Boris, as a means of support through his Coronavirus battle.

19:22

Chelmsford family writes 'get well Boris' in chalk

One house in Chelmsford wrote 'get well Boris' on their doorstep

William Toms, his younger brother Michael and mum Sandra decorated their doorstep with a message of psoitivty.

William said: “I wanted to add some positivity to my doorstep for people (especially key workers) to see.”

19:03

Harlow Council shut car parks

Car park closures

Today we have taken the decision to close the Town Park car parks and any others found near open spaces until further notice to help reduce unnecessary travel. pic.twitter.com/fO2VwJ6l43

Firefighters temporally join Ambulance service

Two firefighters have been temporally seconded to the NHS (East of England Ambulance Service) (Image: Saffron Walden Fire Station)

A post on the Saffron Walden Fire Station Facebook page read: “We are pleased to confirm that 2 of our On - Call fire fighters (Mark Webb & Richard Ellis-who are both emergency blue light responce drivers-normally fire engines!) have been temporally seconded to the NHS (East of England Ambulance Service) as emergency ambulance drivers to help the NHS during this national crisis.

More than 6,200 people across the UK who tested positive for COVID-19 have now sadly died.

This afternoon (Tuesday, April 7), NHS England revealed that 758 more people had lost their lives to the killer virus, while authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also reported an increase of 96 between them.

Sadly, as of 5pm yesterday afternoon, the virus claimed the lives of 6,227 people - an increase of 854 in the past 24 hours.

Michael Gove enters self-isolation

One of his family members has started showing symptoms and so the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is self-isolating.

He tweeted the below.

Many thanks for kind messages. In accordance with the guidance, I am isolating at home after a member of my family started to display mild symptoms of coronavirus on Sunday. I have not displayed any symptoms and am continuing to work as normal. #StayHomeSaveLives

Essex firefighters become ambulance drivers

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service are lending ten on-call firefighters to the East of England Ambulance Service.

They will work as ambulance drivers in light of the increased demand during the COVID-19 crisis.

This comes on the day the ambulance service issued a plea for more workers and volunteers.

Chief Executive of ECFRS Jo Turton said:

“I could not be prouder of our people - we saw about 90 colleagues come forward to volunteer to support our NHS colleagues. Even in these times of uncertainty, the one thing that never changes is their commitment and passion for helping others in need.

“For now, we’ll be proceeding with 10 firefighters, but there is potential to increase that in future, and we are open to exploring different options around this.

“It’s an excellent example of partnership working - we are one of the first fire and rescue services in the country to be pressing on with this initiative.

“And of course, it goes without saying that while this activity is taking place, we’ll always maintain our core functionality as a fire and rescue service.”

11:45

Jet2 announce date when flights and holidays will recommence after lockdown

Jet2 are cancelling holidays before June 17 (Image: Aero Icarus)

Jet2 have announced that all flights and holidays before June 17 have been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

It was revealed this morning (April 7) that the company’s operations should recommence on this date, but all holidays and flights booked before this date will not be operating.

The decision was made in light of the recent government travel advice regarding the COVID-19 virus.

New Labour leader Keir Starmer wishes Boris Johnson Well

The new leader of the Labour part Sir Keir Starmer has wished the Prime Minister well following his admission to intensive care.

The leader reassured the public that they will act as a constructive opposition, pointing the government in the right direction.

His message is within his tweet below.

All of our thoughts are with the Prime Minister and his family at this difficult time. This is a national crisis and the Labour Party will act in the national interest, working constructively with the government. pic.twitter.com/xkPiNDAgSf